As a librarian, I read lots of books each month, and I must say that "The Next Best Thing" is the best book that I have read this year so far. GREAT BOOK! The characters are well-written, and the book is so laugh-out-loud funny that it reminded me of Bridget Jones Diary. Tori, the main character is an event planner who is anal to the Nth degree, and likes for everything in her life to be in good order. Her fantasy wedding turns into a nightmare when her fiancee skips out on the wedding, and also skips town with his female "friend" with whom he had been secretly having an affair. Tori has a meltdown, and a close girlfriend encourages her to use a journal to help her deal with the demise of her relationship. While trying to heal emotionally, Tori also has to deal with an overbearing boss, and an idiotic assistant who may be trying to sabotage her career. Tori eventually starts dating again, and juggles dates with one loser after another, while also dealing with her extra needy friends and family who seem to need Tori to help them run their lives. I won't give away the ending, but it was so sweet and touching that it had me in tears. Bravo to the author! I highly recommend.